<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>1,001 Melodies by Echo_Echidna</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27517237">1,001 Melodies</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Echo_Echidna/pseuds/Echo_Echidna'>Echo_Echidna</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Autistic Zuko (Avatar), Child Neglect, Eventual Romance, Fluff and Angst, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, M/M, Mentioned Ozai (Avatar), Orchestra, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Past Child Abuse, Sokka (Avatar) Has ADHD, a bunch of kids are sad and they all cope with music, he's the conductor, suki plays viola and the kyoshi warriors are her viola gang</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:35:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,186</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27517237</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Echo_Echidna/pseuds/Echo_Echidna</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
      <p>CW: Self-injurious stims/repressed stims once it switches to Zuko's POV.</p>
    </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), background Kataang - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>49</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Welcome to Ember Island</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>CW: Self-injurious stims/repressed stims once it switches to Zuko's POV.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Sokka, what the fuck are you doing, we gotta go!” Katara shouted up the steps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jeez, Katara, I’m coming!” he answered. They were headed to pick up Toph for their annual orchestra retreat to Ember Island. They were all members of the Caldera City Youth Orchestra, and to start off every season, they spent a week in cabins at Ember Island to bond and get a head start on their music for the fall concert. Sokka had been busy fighting with his suitcase trying to make room for an extra blanket. Once the zipper finally closed, he slung his trumpet case over his shoulder and awkwardly lugged his suitcase down the stairs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dad’s waiting in the car, come on,” Katara said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was wondering why you said fuck,” Sokka answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m still here,” Bato said, grinning as he leaned against the kitchen counter with his coffee.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah but you don’t care,” Katara said, “I’ll see you next week!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bye Bato!” Sokka called as Katara practically dragged him out the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They clambered into Hakoda’s minivan where their father was waiting at the wheel. Sokka insisted upon sitting in the front seat, while Katara rolled her eyes and climbed into the second row. Soon, they pulled up to Toph’s house, and immediately upon entering the car, she began pouring over her sheet music. Being blind, Toph did not take the ability to play in an orchestra lightly. Through the use of braille sheet music and a haptic baton their conductor, Iroh, had fought to procure, Toph was able to keep up very well, even surpassing most of her fellow percussionists in talent while only in 7th grade. However, no technology as of yet allowed her to read her music while playing it, so she devoted a lot of energy into memorizing everything beforehand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, hi, Toph! It’s nice to see you too!” Katara exclaimed, rolling her eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, I didn’t see you there,” Toph deadpanned, not turning her focus from her music but earning a snort from Sokka.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I, for one, am glad we adopted this little gremlin,” he stated, earning a forceful kick on the back of his seat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t say I wasn’t!” Katara protested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They pulled up to Aang’s house next, and Katara immediately moved to the back row to sit next to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aww, are you two gonna </span>
  <em>
    <span>kiss</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Toph said as Sokka made kissing noises in their direction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut </span>
  <em>
    <span>up</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Katara groaned as Aang laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You children need to stop bullying each other,” Hakoda said, but he was laughing just as much as the rest of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They pulled into a large parking lot where dozens of teenagers had their hands full with duffel bags and instrument cases they were loading onto two coach busses. Hakoda gave each of them a hug goodbye before they headed off to do the same. They found Suki in the crowd and Sokka ran up to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! Congrats on first chair!” he said as Suki stowed her viola next to her luggage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks! My section’s all girls and I’m so excited,” she answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How dare you imply I wouldn’t make the viola section exciting!” Sokka huffed in mock disgust.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You make viola jokes every five seconds. We’d kick you out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, that reminds me, what’s the difference between a viola and an onion?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Suki asked, rolling her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No one cries when you cut up a viola!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bet. What’s the difference between trumpet players and government bonds? Government bonds eventually mature and earn money.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Suki! I earn money! I work!” Sokka protested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, at McDonalds.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m 16!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they climbed onto the bus, Sokka noticed a boy with untidy black hair and a scar on the left side of his face sitting by himself in the front row wearing headphones and staring out the window. When he and Suki were settled in the back of the bus near Aang, Katara, and Toph, he asked, “Is the guy in the front new this year? I haven’t seen him before.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess. I haven’t seen him either,” Suki shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bus ride to Ember Island was far too long for Sokka’s taste. The banter eventually ran dry and in the end, Toph had fallen asleep on Sokka’s shoulder, Suki was reading a book, and Aang and Katara were sharing a bag of chips and whispering to each other in their disgustingly cute fashion. Sokka was struggling to keep his fidgeting from waking Toph.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After what felt like forever, the bus crossed the bridge and the trek to their cabins began. Every year, Iroh assigned cabin arrangements, but they were always disregarded and people regularly moved around throughout the week to be with their friends. Their group wasted no time in calling dibs on a cabin near the beach. As soon as they were unpacked, Sokka challenged Aang to a tetherball game. The match was heated and lasted the entire free hour until their first rehearsal. The girls watched in amusement from the beach while they talked. By the time they had to stop, Sokka was sweaty and disheveled and was sporting a bruised leg Aang had apologized profusely for.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Sokka had found his seat in the rehearsal space, he surveyed the area. In front of him, Suki seemed to be bonding with the viola girls already. Aang and Katara were, of course, pouring over their sheet music together and giggling in the flute section. Sokka pitied the poor other flutist that would be stuck as their third wheel all week. Toph was busy setting up the haptic baton with Iroh and getting a sense of the percussion space. He also noticed the boy from the bus sitting in the middle of the first violin section next to a cheerful girl with a long braid (Sokka thought her name was Ty Lee, but he wasn’t sure.) He leaned back into his chair and soaked in the cacophony of musicians warming up. Spirits, he’d missed this over the summer. Everything from the scales flying up and down several different instruments to that one kid who wouldn’t stop playing meme songs. Every ensemble had that one kid, he chuckled to himself. To be honest, it was usually him. Soon enough, Iroh made his way to the podium, tapped his baton on the stand, and the noise faded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome, everyone, to Ember Island. For those of you who don’t know me, I am Iroh, and I am very happy to see so many bright young faces this morning,” he said with his signature smile, “Let’s begin tuning. Jin, an A please?” he asked, gesturing to the oboe section. An oboist lifted her instrument to comply, and rehearsal began. The first rehearsal of a season always had a certain magic to it. Everyone was fresh and eager to play together after being away from orchestral life all summer, and the magic was only amplified by the seaside air drifting through an open window and the large room decorated with art projects from summer camps past. Sokka smiled. He was home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rehearsal began with a read through of Copland’s Billy the Kid Ballet Suite. Sokka hadn’t known that a cowboy ballet was a thing that existed until a few weeks ago, but he was down for the concept. A substantial amount of time was spent on a gun battle scene with a prominent trumpet part that kept him busy. Toph also had an important timpani, and one look at her face told Sokka that she was immensely enjoying being told to hit the timpani with as much force as possible. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After rehearsal, he found his friends gathered around a piano in the room where they stored their cases.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, Snoozles, we’re going to the beach,” Toph said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sick. I needed to get back at Aang for wounding me anyway,” Sokka grinned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>sorry</span>
  </em>
  <span>! I didn’t mean to hit you with the tetherball!” Aang protested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know you’re sorry, but you’ve still gotta pay your debt before I let you off the hook,” Sokka said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what debt is that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll just have to wait and find out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once they had changed into their swimsuits, they made their way to the beach and Aang immediately ran into the water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aang! Get back here! You’ve gotta pay your debt!” Sokka protested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nuh uh,” Aang answered, “You gotta catch me for that!” He then took off in a backstroke further from the shore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was raised in the water, you little shit!” Sokka shouted as he took off after him. He thought he heard Katara shout, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Men!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” in exasperation behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka caught up with him easily enough, and an epic splash battle ensued. He was vaguely aware of Suki’s phone camera trained on him, but that was of little importance when Aang had yet to pay his debt. Eventually, however, they had both exhausted themselves and they swam back to shore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did he pay his debt?” Toph asked as they reached where she was sitting in the shallow water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We called a truce,” Sokka said, panting. Suki rolled her eyes, putting her phone away. It was then that he noticed the black-haired boy from the bus turn onto the path to the beach, a thick book in hand. Sokka raised his hand to wave, but before he could, the boy noticed them and scurried off back in the direction he came from. Sokka frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You okay?” Katara asked, startling him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? Oh, uh, yeah,” Sokka muttered. Katara gave him a knowing look before turning her attention to Aang.</span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko flopped onto his bunk bed, wondering why he’d let Uncle convince him to come here. None of the people assigned to his cabin even showed up there. Not that he was complaining, he liked having a space to himself. He shouldn’t be bothered by it, anyway. Who was he to be annoyed with people over where they chose to spend their time?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He recalled the day Uncle brought up joining his orchestra. “I really think you’d enjoy it, Zuko,” he had said while he poured both of them tea, “The kids are all wonderful. They’re not only talented, but mature and kind!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’ll only show their best side around you,” Zuko had grumbled, “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He had to give Uncle credit though. No one seemed particularly mean so far, but they all already knew each other, and there was no way he’d be able to insert himself into their pre-established dynamics. He’d sat by himself on the bus and listened to Rimsky-Korsakov’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>Scheherazade</span>
  </em>
  <span>, as he did whenever he felt uncomfortable. He’d always been captivated by the tale of Scheherazade, and how she’d managed to subdue the murderous sultan she married with her stories over 1,001 nights. The violin solos throughout the piece representing her were what made him want to start learning the instrument at the age of 7. One day, Uncle had noticed him transfixed on the CD player, wide-eyed as his hands waved along to the music, and was more than happy to rent an instrument for him and start him in lessons, and that was that. Ozai had never approved, but most of the time, it was worth it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now that Ozai was in jail and he and Azula were safely in Uncle’s custody, he could finally fulfill his dream of joining an orchestra. He’d played along to recordings for years, but he knew it couldn’t compare to the real thing. So then why was he so scared to join one now that the opportunity was there? Fire flared up in his chest as he suppressed a yell and grabbed the blanket under him with the tightest grip he could muster. The fire fought for control of his arms and Zuko fought just as hard against it. The more his fists threatened to fly to his head, the harder he gripped the sheets. He bit down on his lip as the fire pushed harder and harder against his chest and throat. Zuko squeezed his eyes shut and after a moment, he cautiously loosened his grip on the sheets as the moment passed. He exhaled shakily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was going to spend his afternoon reading on the beach, but a group of friends was already there, and he didn’t want to get in their way. Reading in his cabin would have to do. He immersed himself in his biography of Tchaikovsky and the afternoon hours flew by quickly. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Nights on the Beach</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I updated the tags and the rating, please take note.<br/>CW: Zuko recalls past abuse/neglect</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Sokka was exhausted after evening rehearsal. It had been a long day, and he was ready to make s'mores by the campfire and hang out on the cabin porch until he couldn’t stay awake. The sea breeze had lowered the temperature quickly, but thankfully, Katara, ever the mom friend, had insisted they all bring jackets to rehearsal. After a few minutes, they joined the rest of the orchestra in the cabin area where Iroh and a few volunteers were working to set up campfires. Clusters of people huddled together for warmth while several boys Sokka recognized from the brass section had already begun chasing each other around the field. Suki and Aang squeezed their way through the crowd of kids surrounding the bag containing the s’mores supplies and grabbed them all sticks and marshmallows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Suki? Suki, Suki, Suki?” Sokka pestered, poking her with his stick.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Suki rolled her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wanna know what instrument we could use to start the fire faster?” he asked with a shit-eating grin on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm, I don’t know about an instrument, but we could use the sheet music for your solo,” she replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neither the instrument nor the sheet music were needed, thankfully. The fires were roaring soon enough and s’mores were enjoyed by all. They eventually made their way to their cabin for the evening and settled down on the porch. No one had had the foresight to bring camping chairs, so they all sat on a circle on the wooden planks, leaning on either the side of the cabin or the porch railing. Sokka noticed his sister huddled in the corner, hugging her knees and staring out at the ocean. He sat down next to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You okay?” he whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it’s just…” she sighed, “I don’t know, this place reminds me of when we used to go camping by the lake. When Mom was here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, me too,” Sokka felt a lump forming in his throat. Memories surfaced of their mother’s gentle voice explaining the differences between the different trees and grasses. He remembered how Katara would look up at her with bright eyes, totally enraptured. Sokka would always get bored and run off to climb the rocks and trees, his mother’s soft tones and Katara’s excited chatter fading into the background sounds of the forest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aang scooted closer to Katara and reached out to squeeze her hand. Katara gave him a small smile and rested her head on his shoulder. He felt a pang of guilt watching them. He was happy for Katara, of course, and Aang was nice, but Sokka was her older brother. He should be the one to comfort her. He knew Katara would never admit it, but he could see she’d felt responsible for him ever since Mom died, and as much as Sokka hated to admit it, he saw Katara’s face whenever he tried to imagine his mother’s. She was only 8 when the accident happened, for spirit’s sake. No one that young should ever have to take on that much responsibility. He should have been the one that was there for her, not the other way around. He reached out and grabbed Katara’s other hand. Katara laughed, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sokka, I’m fine,” she said, “Really.” His face fell and he held on to the hand for a second before letting it go. He swallowed the tightness in his chest and turned his attention to Toph and Suki on his other side, who were discussing Toph’s teachers for the upcoming school year.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...and then I have Ms. Wu for science,” Toph said. Suki snorted at that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh god, not Ms. Wu,” she laughed, “Hey, Sokka, you remember that time she smelled the entire class?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Toph exclaimed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah,” Sokka chimed in, “Some kid was wearing way too much Axe and she couldn’t tell who it was, so she made everyone line up in the hallway and she went down the line smelling everyone until she figured it out. It was wild.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Toph burst out laughing, “What was she gonna do about it, make him take it off?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No idea,” Suki shook her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How many of the teachers are gonna treat me like a helpless blind baby?” Toph asked after a minute. Suki pursed her lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Probably most of them,” she said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Figures,” Toph grumbled, “At least I’m not homeschooled anymore.” Toph’s parents were intent on keeping her from any and all potential harm without any care for her input on what she could and couldn’t do. It was only after a huge fight involving multiple social workers backing Toph up that her parents allowed her to attend public school a few years prior. Toph had to fight tooth and nail to be allowed to do anything, orchestra included. It was a life Sokka couldn’t imagine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did I tell you guys Iroh had to convince my parents to let me come here?” she scoffed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, seriously?” Suki groaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Honestly, I’m surprised it worked,” Toph replied, shaking her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, never underestimate the persuasive power of a sweet old man,” Sokka said, “He’ll lure you in with his jasmine tea and words of wisdom, and by the time you realize what he’s doing…” Sokka grabbed his flashlight and turned it on under his chin, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s too late</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he growled, baring his teeth and lifting his hands in a vaguely ominous gesture.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The porch exploded in laughter, and Sokka basked in it. He glanced over at Katara and his heart swelled when he saw her laughing for real, her head thrown back against the railing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re such an idiot,” she giggled fondly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They sat on the porch talking late into the night, the sounds of the waves filling every lull in conversation. One by one, they headed inside to sleep. Aang was first, having to be coaxed inside by Katara after he fell asleep on her shoulder. Eventually, only Suki and Sokka remained, and Suki was beginning to yawn.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You gonna go to bed soon?” she asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nah. My sleep schedule’s a mess. You can go ahead, I’ll probably go for a walk or something,” he answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, but I’m telling Katara you went for a walk alone at night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I’ll tell her we’re on a tiny island and there’s no one else here,” he retorted with a grin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t know that,” she said, “There could be ghosts. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ooooooo</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Suki backed up slowly, wiggling her fingers in front of her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck off,” Sokka snorted, “Goodnight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Night,” Suki said before the door creaked closed behind her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka immediately jumped off the porch and ran off towards the beach. He tugged off his shoes when he arrived and paused for a moment to sink his toes into the cool sand, grinning. Sure, it was probably nearing 3 AM, but Sokka could already tell his brain wasn’t going to shut off tonight. He considered what Suki had said, then shrugged it off. He could swim better than any serial killer. It was better to move around with a little risk than to lay in his top bunk and let his thoughts spiral. He continued his jog towards the ocean, then turned once the water began to lap at his heels. The light of the full moon lit his way down the beach as the rhythmic impacts of his feet against the wet sand pierced the quiet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko couldn’t sleep, like usual. Even though his day had been long and exhausting, his head still spun with every mistake he made in rehearsal and every flubbed social interaction, not to mention the uncomfortable mattress and the unfamiliar patterns of shadows on the walls that he couldn’t stop double checking for… something. He didn’t know what. Uncle was always telling him to look to nature when he needed to calm down. Zuko didn’t think he meant nature at 3 AM on an unfamiliar island, but here he was. He’d wandered around camp for a while, eventually ending up on the trails that snaked their way through the woods. The trail he was on eventually gave way to soft sand, and before long, he found himself sitting on a small dock over the ocean, staring out at the waves with his knees tucked into his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko let out a shaky breath. The sounds of the ocean were supposed to calm people down, weren’t they? He’d only ever seen the ocean once before, on a business trip he and Azula were forced to tag along with Ozai for. He’d been young then, only about 8. Azula was 6. Their father had rented the penthouse suite of a luxury hotel about a block away from the ocean. Once they arrived, they had to sit through a long lecture about being on their best behavior and how they were lucky Ozai had even brought them. He instructed them to stay in the hotel room at all times, told them that there was food in the fridge, and then left them to work long hours.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had been fun at first, watching as much TV as he wanted and playing games with his sister all day, but after a few days it had started to get old. One afternoon, he and Azula were lying on the couch. Zuko was flipping idly through a book he’d found under a bed while Azula was sprawled upside down, her hair spread out on the floor and her tiny feet just barely reaching above the couch cushions. She’d turned her head to look at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Zuzu,” she’d said, “I wanna go see the ocean.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Father told us to stay here,” Zuko had told her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But it’s so </span>
  <em>
    <span>boring</span>
  </em>
  <span> in here!” Azula turned right side up and flopped dramatically onto Zuko’s legs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, but I don’t want to get in trouble,” he snapped, yanking his legs free and walking off to his room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Zuzu!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Azula complained. For hours, she wouldn’t stop nagging him. Finally, he’d conceded without a word and stuffed a room key into his pocket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko forgot all about his misgivings when they arrived at the beach. Azula chased him through the maze of umbrellas and beach towels until they both ran out of breath. They built their first and only sandcastle together and splashed each other mercilessly in the ocean. Zuko couldn’t recall another time when he and his sister had gotten along so well. Once the sun started to go down, they reluctantly began the trudge back to their room, covered in sand and saltwater. They stopped short when they saw Ozai glaring at them from the hotel entrance, arms folded over his perfectly pressed grey business suit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come,” he had said coldly. They dared not look at him or each other as they followed. Zuko couldn’t remember exactly what came next, only that he was instructed to never corrupt Azula again and that the rest of the trip passed by in long, agonizing silence. Azula refused to even look at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He returned to the present with a jump that nearly sent him into the water when a voice behind him called, “Hey, you ok?” He turned around to see a boy with dark skin and a blue sweatshirt standing on the beach behind him. The boy added hastily, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“S’okay,” Zuko mumbled shakily, “I just… wasn’t expecting anyone else here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gotta say, neither was I,” the boy chuckled, “So what brings you to this dock in the middle of the night?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko paused for a moment then said, “I dunno… Just couldn’t sleep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, me neither. Mind if I join you?” the boy asked, “I’m Sokka, by the way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zuko,” he said, scooting over to make room for Sokka, who swung himself into the spot, dipping his bare feet in the water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I saw you in the violin section, right?” Sokka asked, “I play trumpet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, yeah,” Zuko answered, “That’s cool.” He cringed at how his voice had jumped about 3 octaves after Sokka startled him</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damn right it is. My friend Suki loves to make fun of me for it, like she has any right to talk, she plays the </span>
  <em>
    <span>viola</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he said as if Zuko wasn’t the most awkward person he had ever seen. Zuko forced a small chuckle. Sokka continued, “You’re new this year, right? I haven’t seen you before.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, yeah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, welcome. We have fun here, Iroh makes sure of that. Ember Island’s kinda like orchestra boot camp, but it’s not this intense most of the time, I promise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s good,” Zuko mumbled. He’d spent most of both rehearsals today lost beyond belief and relying on Ty Lee next to him to show him where they were. Luckily, he’d known Ty Lee for years, even if she was more Azula’s friend than his, and she was nice, which was probably why Uncle sat him next to her. He certainly didn’t deserve to have as high a chair as he did, despite Ty Lee’s emphatic assurances otherwise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What other orchestras have you been in?” Sokka asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um… just this one,” Zuko flinched. Sokka had probably seen how his bow was totally out of sync with everyone else’s for the entire time. It must have been obvious he’s never done this before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah, really? So was today your first time in an orchestra?” Sokka’s eyes went huge, “What did you think?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was really cool,” Zuko said truthfully. He’d played along to recordings since he’d started violin, but it paled in comparison to being engulfed in every swell of the music. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I remember my first time playing in a big group. I was in, like, 4th grade, and all we did was play a Bb scale a couple of times, we must have sounded like shit, but it blew my mind. Like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>pchooo</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Sokka mimicked an explosion with his entire body, spraying a bit of water in Zuko’s face as his legs flew out of the water. Zuko laughed, more loose this time as he wiped it off with his sleeve. Sokka continued, “On some level, that feeling never really goes away, you know? It’s been like 8 years and it still hits me sometimes how awesome what we do is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko smiled, “I’ve always loved listening to orchestras. My uncle had a ton of classical music CDs, and I’d just sit there and listen to them for hours.” He recalled how he would rewind them over and over and listen to a few measures on loop. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sick,” Sokka said, “What’s your favorite piece?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov,” he immediately answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I’ve heard of it,” Sokka replied, brow furrowed, “Doesn’t it have a really good violin solo?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah it has a lot of solos that represent a bunch of different things. It’s based on this old legend where there’s a sultan that marries a new woman each night, he has a theme in the low brass that sounds super ominous. But anyway every morning he has the woman from the night before executed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damn, what a dick,” Sokka interjected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, he’s a dick,” Zuko agreed, then continued, “Then this woman, Scheherazade, she’s the violin solo, she marries him, but she knows what he does, and that night she tells him a story, but she end it on a cliffhanger so he keeps her alive until the next day, and then she continues the story that night, and then the next night, and she keeps telling him all these stories until eventually, he lets her go. The thing is she knew exactly what she was getting into, she knew she could die, and yet she still did it. She had that much confidence in her ability as a storyteller and she was willing to spend so long with him, her life must have been hell and-” he suddenly became very aware of Sokka watching him intently and cut himself off, “Sorry, I shouldn’t be rambling.” He hid his face in his knees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? No, you’re fine,” Sokka assured him, then said, “She sounds really brave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” was all Zuko could muster out of his embarrassment. He rested his chin on his knees. They were silent for a few minutes, Zuko resting his head on the post next to him, Sokka swinging his feet in the water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who’s cabin are you staying in?” Sokka asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, uh, no one in my cabin showed up, so I’m by myself,” Zuko said, the thought of the empty cabin waiting for him whenever he decided to walk back from the beach putting yet another damper on his mood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re probably here,” Sokka replied, “Everyone just ignores the cabin assignments and moves in with their friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that allowed?” Zuko asked skeptically. Wasn’t everyone worried about getting in trouble?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, not explicitly, but we do it every year and no one’s tried to stop anyone to my knowledge. I can totally ask my friends if you could move in with us, I’m sure they’ll say yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You really don’t have to, I don’t want to ruin the mood,” Zuko insisted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why would you ruin the mood? You seem cool,” Sokka asked, his brow furrowing again. He made that face a lot, Zuko noticed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I dunno, I just… tend to do that,” he mumbled, cringing yet again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, real convincing argument, Zuko,” Sokka deadpanned, “You wanna at least sit with us at breakfast tomorrow and test that theory before you go around saying that?” Sokka cocked his head and smirked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure. Thanks,” he said, more to his knees than to Sokka. He could tell there was no getting out of this one, and he wasn’t sure whether or not he wanted to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After talking a little while longer, they walked down the beach together back towards the cabins. Sokka set a brisk pace, and Zuko struggled slightly to keep up. As they walked, he noticed how Sokka did everything with his whole body. When he laughed, his entire torso shook, and the hand gestures he made while he spoke were wild and extended as far as his body would let them. Zuko marveled at how he didn’t seem to be thinking about any of it, how he could just… be. After Sokka had bowed in farewell and Zuko climbed into his bed, he lay awake staring up at the ceiling. There was something about the way Sokka treated him that was different. He wasn’t sure if it was a good different or a bad different; he wasn’t even sure what it was. His thoughts circled around Sokka as he drifted into a fitful sleep.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>(That Axe story was actually something that happened in my middle school fun fact)</p><p>Quick side note, I don't have anyone to beta read this thing. If anyone's interested, DM me on tumblr (@thezeldanerd1) and I would be very grateful. Pls leave comments and kudos, they fuel me. I hope y'all enjoyed!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So yeah I haven't been to orchestra since March and I miss it can you tell? Anyway I'll try to update this regularly but I'm not used to posting my writing so we'll see how that goes. Hope you enjoyed! Pls give me feedback here or on my tumblr (@thezeldanerd1) it fuels me</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>